Our Candle Recycling Service

At DM Hay, we are committed to preserving tradition while caring for creation. As part of our ongoing effort to reduce environmental impact, we offer a nationwide candle recycling service.

Why We Offer This Service

Candles are a vital part of church life, yet spent wax is often discarded and ends up in landfill. Through our recycling scheme, we recover used church candles and reprocess the wax, giving it new life in our candle-making process. By recycling, churches help reduce waste, minimise environmental impact, and support sustainable worship practices. This also allows us to continue offering high-quality, eco-conscious candles at value-for-money prices.

The Importance of Recycling Candle Wax

Environmental Stewardship: Recycling reduces the demand for virgin wax and prevents wax waste from contributing to landfill pollution.

Resource Efficiency: Recycled wax is reprocessed and blended with fresh raw materials, ensuring nothing goes to waste.

Sustainable Manufacturing: Helps maintain a circular economy approach, reducing energy use and supporting traditional, low-impact candle-making methods.

How the Service Works: A Step-by-Step Guide

Costs

We’ll organise and pay for a courier to collect the waste and then deliver it to our wax recycling facility. You will pay a contribution towards the recycling cost based on the weight of the waste being returned. This contribution helps cover the labour, sorting, cleaning, and reprocessing required to give the wax a new life. We aim to keep this cost as low as possible and make recycling accessible for all churches.

Suitable for recycling

We accept most types of church candles, including:

• Altar candles
• Vigil candles
• Paschal candles
• Processional candles
• Votive candles
• Pillar candles
• Advent candles

Unsuitable for recycling

• Containerised candles (e.g. sanctuary lights, tealights, votive lights in glass or metal holders)
• Candles containing vegetable waxes (e.g. soya, palm, rapeseed)

Packaging and Preparing for Collection

1. Sort candles by type and/or colour and package in clear plastic bags.
2. Place bagged candles into a sturdy cardboard box.
3. Write the weight of the box clearly on its side.
4. Take a photo of each open box showing its contents for recycling.

Booking a Collection

5. Select the appropriate recycling service from our website based on the total weight being recycled, https://dmhay.co.uk/products/candle-recycling-service
6. Email info@dmhay.co.uk with:
   
• Number of boxes for collection
• Weight of each box
• Photo of each open box showing candles inside (JPEG or PDF format)
  
7. After your candles are accepted for recycling we will email your pre-paid courier labels to print and affix to each box.
8. We agree a collection date.

Collection Day

8. Our courier will collect the boxes on the agreed date between 9am and 5pm.
9. If no one is available, please leave the boxes in a dry, secure area for collection.

Thank You for Supporting Sustainable Worship

Your participation in our recycling scheme helps reduce waste, promote sustainability, and preserve the environment for future generations – all while upholding the traditions of the church.

The Story Behind Our Candle Recycling Service

At DM Hay, we have always believed that tradition and stewardship can go hand in hand. Our candle recycling service was born out of a deep-rooted concern for waste reduction, especially when it involves fossil fuel-derived materials, and a desire to support our church customers in lowering their environmental impact.

Why We Started the Recycling Scheme

1. A Dislike of Waste – Especially of Fossil Fuel Origin

As candle suppliers, we were acutely aware of the amount of waste wax generated from spent church candles. The fact that paraffin wax – a fossil fuel derivative – typically makes up 90% of an altar candle particularly troubled us. Allowing this material to go to waste felt both environmentally and morally wrong.

2. Supporting the Church’s Role in Carbon Reduction

We recognise the important role that churches play within their local communities, not only as places of worship but also as leaders in environmental stewardship. Many of our customers were actively seeking ways to lower carbon emissions and minimise their ecological footprint. We felt it was our responsibility to help them achieve that goal by offering a practical, impactful recycling solution.

3. Packaging Changes Were Not Enough

While some candle manufacturers began switching to more eco-friendly packaging, we felt that focusing solely on packaging was missing the bigger picture. Altar candles, vigil lights, and other church candles remain predominantly composed of paraffin wax (typically over 90%) and plastic elements, both of which are fossil fuel-based. In our view, changing the outer packaging without addressing the candle itself risked being a token gesture, rather than a meaningful step towards sustainability.

From Idea to Action – Our Learning Journey

When we first envisioned a wax recycling service, we had no blueprint to follow. We didn’t know how to recycle candle wax, and the practical challenges of sorting, processing, and cleaning used wax were significant. However, we believed in the cause and chose to invest in equipment, time, and experimentation.

Through trial and error, we developed effective methods to reclaim and purify wax from used candles. Over time, this evolved into a dedicated recycling facility, capable of processing larger quantities of church candle wax.

Today, we’re proud to offer a nationwide recycling service to churches, helping reduce waste, cut reliance on fossil fuels, and support a more sustainable approach to worship.

A Shared Commitment to Creation

By recycling with us, churches across the UK are helping close the loop, ensuring that spent candles are not wasted but are transformed and reused – supporting both tradition and environmental responsibility.

Together, we can take practical steps to care for creation, reduce carbon emissions, and preserve resources for future generations.

If you’re passing by you can drop off your waste at our recycling facility at Exeter Business Centre, 39 Marsh Green Road West, Exeter EX2 8PN.

Feel free to contact us at info@dmhay.co.uk for more information.

Thank you for helping to stop church waste!